Draft:Zane Dangor

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Zane Dangor is a South African diplomat and civil servant. In his role as Director General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, he has contributed to the diplomacy and international relations policy of the Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa. He led the Sherpa track of South Africa's historical 2025 G20 Johannesburg Summit, spearheading discussions on matters of economic development, inequality, climate change, and sustainable growth. He has worked at the intersection of social development, social activism and diplomacy for over three decades.

Early life

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Zane Dangor was born on the 8th of May 1966 in Newclare, Johannesburg, to Ebrahim and Juleigha (Julie) Dangor.  He is the brother of South African acclaimed author, anti-apartheid activist, and development professional Achmat Dangor, accomplished politician Yasmin Jessie Duarte as well as Mohammed (a former Ambassador to Syria, Jordan, and Libya Consul General to Saudi Arabia), Suleiman, Abdullay, Moosa, Igshaan, and Abbas Dangor. The Dangor family's roots are reflective of South Africa's multicultural past with Dutch and Indian roots. Zane follows in the footsteps of his politically-affiliated siblings who contributed to the anti-apartheid struggle through their creative and political pursuits.

Zane Dangor
Leaders and figures at the emergency confrence on palestine in Bogotá (L to R: Zane Dangor, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, Gustavo Petro, Riyad Mansour & Francesca Albanese
Director-General Department of International Relations and Cooperations
PresidentCyril Mathamela Ramaphosa
Personal details
Born
Newclare, Johannesburg
RelationsAchmat Dangor, Jessie Duarte & Mohammed Dangor

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Education

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Zane Dangor is a graduate of the University of the Western Cape. He also holds a Master’s in Law in International Law and a Master’s in Public and Development Management, both from the University of the Witwatersrand.[2]

Career

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Zane Dangor is the Director-General (DG) of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). In this role he served as G20 2025 Sherpa. He served as a Special Advisor to the current and former Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation before to being nominated to the Director General position on April 1, 2022. He was non-govermental organization, Soul City's Chief Operations Officer before to joining DIRCO.[3] [4]

In 2017, Mr. Dangor served as the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) temporary representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa. He was the DG of the Department of Social Development before to joining the UNFPA. Additionally, he worked for the Department of Social Development for more than 12 years as Deputy Director General. Mr. Dangor was employed by the Washington, DC-based International Human Rights Law Group, which concentrated on transitional justice concerns in West Africa. He held a number of positions as a consultant and in civil society. Mr Dangor has also served as managing partner in the social consulting company, Sonke Consulting.

Foreign Policy contribution to Second and Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa

Zane Dangor served as Director General under Ministers Naledi Pandor and Ronald Lamola during the Second and Third Administrations of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Director General of DIRCO is responsible for formulating, promoting, and executing South Africa's foreign policy. [4]During this period, South Africa's foreign policy has focused on re-asserting South Africa's position as a regional power as well as the manifesto objectives of progressive internationalism and economic diplomacy. [1]The government asserts that this foreign policy is grounded in solidarity, peace, equality, human rights, and sustainable development, informed by the principles established in the 1955 Freedom Charter, which appears in the preamble of the Constitution of South Africa.[3] It has, however, struggled to assert itself as an authoritative voice and drawn criticism for seemingly divisive stances on foreign and domestic policy. Topical matters which have stirred debate include the Israel / Palestine conflict, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment and claims of white genocide by disgruntled white citizens.[5]

Whilst there have been multilateral achievements like the 2025 Johannesburg G20 Summit and South Africa's ICJ case, DIRCO has received critique about its efforts to maintain a position of non-alignment. DIRCO has postulated that it will not be pressured to align with any single global power or influential bloc, emphasizing multilateralism in numerous engagements. This has been called into scrutiny. This was a sustained critique at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where South Africa initially condemned the Russian intervention but later adopted a more neutral position. Dangor has participated in shaping this policy and executing high-level diplomatic efforts, including visiting Kyiv, Ukraine in March 2024 as part of South Africa's efforts to contribute to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.[6] He was a founding member of the Hague Group, which convenes states from across the world to an Emergency Conference on the conflict in Gaza. [7] Dangor was also part of the Executive which oversaw the lodging of South Africa's Genocide case against Israel, which has drawn both admiration and ire. [8] [9]

Russia-Ukraine conflict

In his capacity as Special Advisor to former DIRCO Minister Naledi Pandor, Dangor visited Kvyiv, Ukraine on Wednesday, 20 March 2022, alongside Advocate Nokukhanya Jele, Legal Advisor to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The two joined international partners in talks with senior Ukrainian officials. This visit was one of the high-level bilateral and international interactions undertaken by South Africa as part of global efforts to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict. [3][5][6][7]

South Africa ICJ Case

As Director-General (DG) of DIRCO, Zane Dangor has played a central role in South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel, and more broadly in shaping its foreign-policy posture on the Palestinian issue. He personally appeared before the ICJ in oral proceedings (on 29 April 2025) on behalf of South Africa, delivering introductory remarks, framing the case in terms of South Africa’s commitment to international law, human rights, and the calls for accountability. Dangor was involved in the policy conception of the ICJ case with some reports suggesting he “drafted the Cabinet memorandum,” advised on strategy, and helped assemble South Africa’s international legal team. [8]

This case has drawn praise for South Africa as supporters argue that the case underscores global accountability, that even powerful countries must obey international legal norms. In January 2024, the ICJ ordered provisional measures, requiring Israel to “take all reasonable measures … to prevent genocidal acts” and to ensure access to humanitarian aid, among other things.[9] Some analysts have argued that by bringing this to the ICJ, South Africa helps to pressure other states (particularly donor states or those supplying military aid) to reconsider their position or actions. [10] [11]

This case has been critiqued as flawed by, amongst others André Thomashausen, who posits that the case does not provide sufficient evidence of genocidal intent and that South Africa's ICJ case rests on an "inadequate understanding of international law." It has also been critiqued on the basis of ICJ Ukraine v Russia (2022) as the ICJ rejected Russia's genocide claims. South Africa refused involvement in that case, citing BRICS obligations, yet no BRICS members joined South Africa's case against Israel. in addition, the government's allocation of R37 million (roughly $2 million) to the case was denounced by the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF). These stances have largely not been publicly withdrawn or amended since the ICJ's actual ruling on provisional measures.[12] [13] The Guardian reports Israel's government questioning South Africa's motives. [14]These critiques have extended to Zane Dangor as DG responsible for discharging this foreign policy. [8]

G20 Presidency

As Director General of DIRCO, Zane Dangor played an instrumental role in shaping and negotiating the agenda for South Africa's G20 presidency. In his role as the G20 Sherpa, he facilitated agreements, oversaw discussions, and represented South Africa's interests at G20 meetings. He facilitated discussions on global issues, including economic development, inequality, climate change, and sustainable growth, which provide the foundation for agreements reached by world leaders at the summit. [15] [16][17]

Department of Social Development

In 2017, during his stint as Deputy Director-General at the Department of Social Development, Dangor testified at an inquiry at the Office of the Chief Justice, headed by Judge Bernard Ngoepe, which probed former Minister Bathabile Dlamini's role and liability in the social grant crisis in 2017. This relates to the Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) which was contracted to manage and distribute social grants payments on behalf of the department. Dangor submitted an affidavit and testified at the Ngoepe Commission that Dlamini created a “parallel structure where so-called work streams” were led by executives other than those from the department and further argued that they did not seek urgent legal recourse during the crisis. [2] [18] [19][20]

Publications and Op-Eds

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Interviews and Press coverage

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  • MSN coverage[21]
  • Africa Intelligence [22]



References

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  1. ^ a b "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ACHMAT DANGOR – FAMILY – Achmat Dangor Legacy Project". Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  2. ^ a b "Naledi Pandor's advisor Zane Dangor appointed director-general of Dirco". www.polity.org.za. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  3. ^ a b c Renè (2025-11-22). "G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders' Declaration, 22 and 23 November 2025". DIRCO. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  4. ^ a b "Social justice heavyweight Zane Dangor joins Soul City". Soul City Institute for Social Justice. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  5. ^ a b Renè (2025-11-22). "G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders' Declaration, 22 and 23 November 2025". DIRCO. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  6. ^ a b Dentlinger, Lindsay. "DIRCO heading to Ukraine as part of govt's efforts to resolve tensions with Russia". EWN. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  7. ^ a b Mkhwanazi, Siyabonga (1994-12-15). "Senior officials travel to Ukraine for peace talks". Daily News. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  8. ^ a b c "Zane Danger, the ICJ and SA`s foreign policy - OPINION | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  9. ^ a b "World reacts to ICJ interim ruling in Gaza genocide case against Israel". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  10. ^ Rajvanshi, Astha. "U.N. Court Says Israel Must Prevent Genocidal Acts in Gaza". TIME. Archived from [https:/time.com/6588931/icj-ruling-israel-genocidal-acts-gaza-south-africa/ the original] on 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2025-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  11. ^ "South Africa's genocide case against Israel: Can it win? – DW – 01/11/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  12. ^ "Sunday Times E-Edition". times-e-editions.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  13. ^ Feinberg, Tali (2023-01-26). "Excluding Israel renders Dirco visit 'irrelevant'". SA Jewish Report. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  14. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (2024-05-17). "South Africa's ICJ genocide case aimed at defending Hamas, Israel claims". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  15. ^ "Sherpa Track". Archived from [https:/g20.org/tracks/sherpa-track/ the original] on 2025-09-20. Retrieved 2025-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  16. ^ "Third G20 Sherpa Meeting | African Union". au.int. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  17. ^ "Who are G20 sherpas and why are they crucial to the success of this summit?". Firstpost. 2023-09-08. Archived from [https:/www.firstpost.com/explainers/who-are-g20-sherpas-and-why-are-they-crucial-to-the-success-of-this-summit-12780472.html the original] on 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2025-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  18. ^ Reporter, Citizen (2017-04-12). "Bathabile Dlamini abruptly terminates contract of special adviser". The Citizen. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  19. ^ Dasnois, By Alide (2017-04-11). "SASSA: Dangor says he warned against "immoral" CPS contract". GroundUp News. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  20. ^ "Bathabile Dlamini engineered delays - Zane Dangor - NEWS & ANALYSIS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  21. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  22. ^ "South Africa • Zane Dangor and the unsung diplomats behind South Africa's G20 presidency". Africa Intelligence. 2025-11-14. Retrieved 2025-11-24.